30 Under 30 Honorees Share Their Wisdom & Advice
We have stars among us! Recently NAR announced its annual 30 Under 30 list and Arizona was lucky to have TWO amazing REALTORS® featured on the list – Kelly Henderson and Lisa Roberts.
We sat down with the two REALTOR® dynamos this week to get some insight into their success and what they envision for themselves moving forward.
Both under 30 (hence, the award), Kelly and Lisa are both early in their real estate careers—Lisa got her license in 2011 and Kelly began in 2012. Prior to venturing into real estate, Lisa had owned and operated a business which served small business owners, assisting them with IRS issues. While she loved working with clients and helping them solve problems, she spent most of her days trapped behind a desk. Bogged down in the business side, what she really enjoyed wanted to focus on was meeting and connecting with clients. Lisa was fortunate to have grandparents, an uncle and a cousin all of whom had very successful real estate careers, so after some thoughtful discussions with her husband she decided to jump into real estate.
While Lisa started real estate after another career, Kelly jumped in right after college. She had planned to attend Pepperdine University for her Master’s Degree but a few weeks before she was slated to begin, she had a change of heart. After meeting with a college advisor who recommended real estate as a possible path, Kelly spoke with family members who all agreed it could be a great fit for her – so she dove in!
For both Lisa and Kelly, starting a real estate business as a young professional came with some challenges. Being young, Lisa especially felt she was fighting objections due to her lack of experience. Kelly also was challenged as her sphere of influence was young, leaving her with few close acquaintances that were ready and excited to buy or sell. This meant she had to spend a lot of her time generating leads and farming opportunities beyond her close circle of friends and family.
How did they overcome these obstacles? Kelly hit the pavement. Hard. She was in the office networking with her fellow agents, hosting open houses and building her social media following and promoting every opportunity she could. Lisa approached these early years a little differently and for her the key was rentals. While many REALTORS® don’t feel that rental commissions are worth the time involved, Lisa saw an opportunity. With each renter she helped find a home, and helped negotiate rent for, she built her experience and her referral pool. Plus, for many of the renters, when they were ready to buy, they remembered how helpful Lisa was and how she went above and beyond for them, so she was their first call. The rental business also put Lisa in touch with landlords whom she would later help when they decided to leave renting behind and sell their properties. She was moving rentals, in her words, “like a machine.”
Being a young and upcoming agent does have its advantages though. You start fresh and you can control your own destiny. Drive is what separates you from the pack – without families to support or lifestyles to maintain, younger agents can hustle longer and harder to build their business.
Looking ahead, both women have very different career expectations. For Kelly, it’s becoming a coach and making it into Gary Williams’ top 100. For Lisa, it’s maintaining her business and finding quality REALTORS® to refer to. She’s built a business she loves and is proud of and she’s ready to enjoy it.
But what about other young REALTORS? What words of wisdom do the two winners have for agents entering the field?
- Pick a work schedule and stick to it. Whether you like to work Monday-Friday, 8-5 or not. It’s important to get into a routine and be consistent, for yourself and your clients.
- Narrow your focus for lead generation. Don’t try to do everything, all at once, all the time. Select five forms of lead generation and do them with consistency and learn how best to amplify your efforts – work smarter, not harder.
- Start your database today. Harness the power of your existing friends, family and acquaintances and give clients a great experience – and then stay in touch with them! Referrals are a wonderful way to grow your business but you need to keep your database clean and organized from day one to make the most of it.
- Join a team and be a sponge. Do your research and find a team that is going to train and groom you for success. Not getting a lot of leads from your team? Think of it as an internship – learn everything you can and get out there and start building.
- Find a work-life balance. It’s very easy to get sucked into working seven days a week, it’s up to you to decide what you want your life to look like. Find out when you’re most productive and work around those times and make time for family and friends – work-life balance will make your work easier and help you go the distance in your career.
